Gillette Advert and Toxic Masculinity
Written by Emily Wood, Haute Writer and Model
The issue and impact of problematic masculine behaviour is at the forefront of our cultural attention in many ways right now. With movements like "Me Too" drawing attention to the ways our culture allows for problematic male behaviour and its harmful effects on women, feminist movements have experienced somewhat of a resurgence in public attention compared to previous decades. But newer than this feminist dialogue and less prominently on the scene is the discussion of toxic masculinity and its negative impact not only on women but also on men themselves, and the appeal directly to men to resist its pressure. The still somewhat controversial terrain of this new perspective on toxic masculinity is apparent in the recent Gillet advert and the subsequent criticisms of it.
At some point in their life, I believe that every single female will experience some form of cat-calling, inappropriate comment, or outright harassment. The image of the labouring workman halting his task to wolf-whistle at an attractive young lady walking past has been become part of our social narrative. Over the last few years, the backlash against misogynistic behaviour and sexual harassment has hit headlines worldwide and shed light on the extent to which such behaviour has become so commonplace. Movements such as the ‘Me Too’ campaign highlighted the female victims of these damaging behaviours and attitudes, with numerous male celebrities, such as Harvey Weinstein, being uncovered as sexual predators. Arguably, it was about time something was done about misogynistic attitudes towards women.
However, the backlash against toxic masculinity has been slow to follow. Perhaps one of the best definitions I have found to define toxic masculinity has come from Urban Dictionary, describing it as:
‘A social science term that describes narrow, repressive types of ideas about the male gender role, that defines masculinity as exaggerated masculine traits like being violent, unemotional, sexually aggressive, and so forth. Also suggests that men who act too emotional or maybe aren’t violent enough or don’t do all of the things that “real men” do, can get their “man card” taken away.’
Perhaps this reflects the extent to which the idea of toxic masculinity has not pervaded mainstream consciousness, unlike Feminism and the narrative around sexual harassment, with only those sites that note topical conversation of the younger generation tending to reference toxic masculinity.
For a number of years, there has been encouragement for men to talk about their mental health following the shocking revelations about the high number of male suicides per year, with suicide being the leading cause of death in UK males aged 20-49 and men being reportedly three times more likely to commit suicide than women. Despite this, however, there has been no public response to the issue of toxic masculinity on the same scale as, for example, the ‘Me Too’ movement. The first decisive, public show of confronting the issue of toxic masculinity appeared in the Gillette advert that aired earlier this year. The advert was aiming to build up the ‘Me Too’ movement, replacing the slogan ‘The best a man can get’ with ‘The best a man can be.’
The advert confronts misogynistic behaviour in men, as well as the idea that ‘boys will be boys’. The advert promotes treating not only women, but also other men, with respect, and encouraging behaviour that deters aggressive, laddish behaviour towards one another in shows of traditional masculinity. It grounds itself upon the notion that we need to teach the boys of today to behave in a more appropriate manner, as they will become the men of tomorrow. Forbes magazine has been one of many who have critiqued the campaign, arguing that it, ‘is insulting to men and full of stereotypes,’ and is too politically charged. However, is not the ‘Me Too’ movement, as well as feminist and other awareness campaigns, also heavily politically charged? If one is to engage with such issues in our society head-on, there is bound to be some strong use of language and imagery to convey the importance and seriousness of the problems, and toxic masculinity is definitely something which we, as a international community, should be talking more about.
I believe that it is about time something was said about toxic masculinity and the impact that it has on society as a whole, both on women and on men. The idea that to be a man you must exude the persona of a macho ladies-man is entirely out of touch with today’s society, not only in regard to its negative impact on females, but for men themselves who do not conform to this stereotype and who feel the immense pressure to be a "man" in the impossibly narrow sense that toxic masculinity dictates. There is far too much pressure on men to be strong and not let their emotions get the better of them, and the harmful psychological impact of this on men is becoming increasingly apparent. I’ve seen first hand the negative impact of the belief that as a man, you do not talk about your problems or your feelings, and its devastating consequences. I am all behind the ‘Me Too’ movement, but perhaps even more so behind Gillette and their watershed campaign. I only hope it continues, so that we do not create generations of men with such toxic behaviours towards women, other men, and themselves.